The Main Man For The Job

JPS Names Former Rochester Administrator Tim Mains As Superintendent

June 11, 2013

The next leader of the Jamestown Public Schools District has been officially announced by the board of education.

A special meeting of the board was held Monday, in which a resolution was passed that will usher in Tim Mains as the district's new superintendent-effective Aug. 1.

"The first order of business is to welcome Mr. Mains," said Joe DiMaio, after the resolution was carried. "We look forward to a long and fruitful future with you."

Article Photos

Former director of internal school operations at the Rochester City School District and Rochester City Council Chair of Finance Tim Mains speaks Monday during the Jamestown Public School board meeting.P-J photo by G. Paterniti

As a lifelong educator, Mains brings with him an extensive background of leadership from an educational and financial standpoint. He began his career in public education as a high school social studies teacher with the Greece Central School District in 1971. He has since served the educational system in several capacities, including: school counselor, teacher center director, staff development director, K-12 social studies director, elementary school principal and, most recently, director of internal school operations at the Rochester City School District.

Additionally, he spent 12 years as the chair of finance for the Rochester City Council, on which his involvement spanned a total of 20 years.

"I am energized by the opportunity to serve the Jamestown Public School staff, students and school community as the superintendent of schools," said Mains. "The pride and enthusiasm exhibited by all community members, students, faculty and staff during the interviews was clear. I look forward to building on the work of my predecessors, and making contributions that will benefit Jamestown's students and community."

He added: "I have become convinced early on that this is the best fit for me. And I'm glad you think that it's a good fit, because that feeling is mutual."

Mains also shared some of his core values, which he said influence his interactions and work. They include: the belief that 21st century education is a team sport, everyone is a teacher, diversity is an asset, learning is not just for kids, focus should be on the whole child through extra activity offerings and students always come first in any potential conflict between student and district needs.

Students, faculty, staff and administration were on hand to welcome Mains to the district. Many of those present served on the superintendent search committee, led by Erie-2 BOCES superintendent David O'Rourke. Some of the attendees addressed the board and Mains regarding their impressions, which ultimately led to his selection.

In addressing Mains, the student population was represented by Shelby Adams, Kellie Rodriguez and Kirstie Hanson.

"We are very supportive of this decision," said Shelby.

"We believe that, as a candidate, you were very outstanding throughout the whole interview process," said Kellie.

"It's easy to see what you've done in Rochester-and we know there are some tricky problems there-so we're excited to see what you're going to be able to do here," said Kirstie.

Phil Cammarata, principal of Persell Middle School, spoke on behalf of the district's principals and coordinators.

"We were very impressed with Mr. Mains. (During his interview), his answers were spot-on, and everything he said was exactly what we felt we needed here in Jamestown. We are definitely going in the right direction with Tim Mains," he said.

Jessie Joy, director of curriculum instruction and assessment, extended congratulations and confidence in welcoming Mains on behalf of the central administration team.

"It's clear that you have a clearly communicated vision, leadership and experience, which will serve our entire district well," she said.

The Jamestown Teachers Association was represented by its president, Chris Reilly, who said the decision of the12-member faculty committee to select Mains was a unanimous one.

"During the interview, it became apparent to us that, despite the fact that (Mains) has not held the position of superintendent previously, his long history and body of work, both in and out of education, more than prepared him for this appointment," said Reilly. "What impressed us most was the fact that superintendent Mains really did his homework when it came to understanding not just JPS, but the community as a whole."

Mains' educational accomplishments are just as hefty as those of his professional career. He holds bachelor's degrees in sociology and world history from Ball State University, and master's degrees in counselor education, educational administration and educational leadership-from the State University of New York at Brockport, Canisius College and Columbia University, respectively. He is currently preparing to begin work on his doctoral dissertation in educational leadership at Columbia University.

On Aug. 1, Mains will succeed Deke Kathman, current JPS superintendent, who announced his retirement in January. Mains' initial contractual term is set to expire June 30, 2016.